Day Nineteen

"Last night was my first encounter with truly unfriendly weather. Thunder, lightning, rain, and high winds blew from the North and caught up with me just past Norcator, KS. I managed to huddle up against the South side of a deserted gas station and stayed dry. Kansas is similar to Colorado in that 'if you don’t like the weather, wait a bit and it’ll change'.

"This morning, my alarm clock was a young nursing student with a flat tire. 'Hello. Is anyone in there? Hello?' The young lady had a jack and a spare, but no idea what to do with them. Twenty minutes later she pulled away, worried that she would be late for her first day of school.

"My days are never truly spent alone. I have had several varieties of hitchhikers to spend time with. Grasshoppers are the most common (the fellow below was with me a long time), but I have also had several butterflies, and one preying mantis. I had to finally shoo this guy away; his constant staring at me became a little disconcerting.

"I talked with my son Ben today. He lives in Hawaii and is making plans for the holidays. If all goes well, Ben and the rest of my family will be walking with me for the final 12 miles of my 1700, from Vienna VA to DC, on the day before Thanksgiving.

"What are you doing on Wednesday, November 21? I'd love to have you join us."